Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of the promotion's shows had to be held at Daily's Place from March 2020 to June 2021, but these were not produced as Homecoming events due to the circumstances. Additionally, although AEW returned to Daily's Place in 2022 for episodes of Dynamite and Rampage, these were not held as Homecoming specials.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that began effecting the industry in mid-March 2020, AEW held the majority of its programs from Daily's Place;[3] these events were originally held without fans, but the company began running shows at 10–15% capacity in August, before eventually running full capacity shows in May 2021.[4] Although held at Daily's Place, these shows were not "Homecoming" events due to the circumstances. In May, AEW announced that it would be returning to live touring, beginning with a special episode of Dynamite titled Road Rager on July 7.[5] Road Rager was also the first of a four-week span of special Dynamite episodes as part of AEW's "Welcome Back" tour, which continued with the two-part Fyter Fest on July 14 and 21 and concluded with Fight for the Fallen on July 28.[6][7] In early July, AEW scheduled a second Homecoming episode to be held after the conclusion of the "Welcome Back" tour, briefly returning AEW to Daily's Place on August 4. The event was promoted as the final event to be held at Daily's Place for Summer 2021.[8][9][10] AEW would then return to Daily's Place in December that year, but that event was held as the New Year's Smash special.[11]
Although AEW returned to Daily's Place in 2022 for episodes of Dynamite and their secondary program, Friday Night Rampage (which premiered on TNT on August 13, 2021), these were regular episodes that were not produced as Homecoming specials.[12][13] AEW did not hold any shows at Daily's Place in 2023, but scheduled a return to the venue in January 2024. The company in turn revived the Homecoming special with the third event held on January 10, 2024. Unlike the prior two events, the 2024 Homecoming expanded the show to a two-part special, with the first part airing live as a special episode of Dynamite on TBS (the program moved from TNT to TBS in January 2022), with the second part taped the same night to air on tape delay on January 12 as a special episode of Rampage on TNT.[14]
Events
All AEW Homecoming events are held at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
The 2020 Homecoming was the inaugural Homecoming professional wrestling television special produced by AEW. The event marked the promotion's return to its home base of Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida, following the company's debut at the venue during Fight for the Fallen in July the previous year. It was held on New Year's Day on January 1, 2020, and was broadcast on TNT as a special episode of AEW's weekly television program, Wednesday Night Dynamite.[2]
The 2021 Homecoming was the second Homecoming professional wrestling television special produced by AEW. The event marked a brief return to AEW's home venue of Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida, which is where they had produced shows through the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 – June 2021), and came after the conclusion of AEW's "Welcome Back" tour, which celebrated the company's resumption of live touring. It was held on August 4, 2021, and was broadcast on TNT as a special episode of AEW's weekly television program, Wednesday Night Dynamite.[9] This was the final Homecoming special produced until 2024, as despite AEW returning to Daily's Place in 2022 for episodes of Dynamite and their Friday night program Rampage, these were not produced as Homecoming specials,[12][13] and no shows were held at Daily's Place in 2023.
The 2024 Homecoming was the third Homecoming professional wrestling television special produced by AEW. The event marked the company's return to its home venue of Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida for the first time since October 2022, although it was the first Homecoming special since 2021. It was held on January 10, 2024. Unlike the prior two Homecoming specials, which only aired as a special episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite, the 2024 event expanded Homecoming to a two-part special, also encompassing Friday Night Rampage. Dynamite aired live on TBS while Rampage aired on tape delay on January 12 on TNT.[25][26] The event also paid tribute to Mr. Brodie Lee, an AEW wrestler and leader of The Dark Order who was a prominent figure during the company's time at Daily's Place during the COVID-19 pandemic from March to October 2020 before his death that December.[27]
